Danny Dougherty with family, friends, and former colleagues in the Council Chamber at the Public Services Centre in Letterkenny. He’s joined in the front row by his mother, Rose, and wife, Lesley.
BY JEROME HUGHES
DANNY Dougherty has been a familiar fixture in Letterkenny for almost four decades, ensuring the flow of traffic and safety of pedestrians along the town’s bustling streets and car parks.
As Donegal’s longest serving traffic warden, he has witnessed many changes and has even had a couple of close calls. Indeed, the 61 year old might even be Ireland’s longest serving traffic warden.
Last Friday, he parked his warden’s cap for the final time as family, friends and colleagues gathered in the council chamber, Letterkenny, to mark his retirement.
“It’s been a long career. You just know when you’ve done your time, as it were. It’s great to see my friends here and people I’ve worked with. It’s positive to be retiring with a modicum of health,” shared Danny.
Since his appointment on September 9, 1986, Danny Dougherty dutifully served as a traffic warden in Letterkenny for almost 38 years, setting a new standard for longevity in his profession.
Initially employed by Letterkenny Urban District Council, he later transitioned to the service of Donegal County Council, consistently upholding traffic regulations throughout his illustrious career.
“I’ve seen the area grow from being just a little town. They had the Urban Renewal Scheme under Town Clerk Colin Morrow. That was an important step. Letterkenny Town Council was very forward thinking and they always have been.
“I was so lucky to always be part of all that growth and to see it go from what it was to what it is today; a big, multi-cultural, vibrant town.
“At the start there was much less traffic and a lot more pollution. Everything was done using a pen and paper. You did things in triplicate. Now you push a button and all the information is there.
“It is a lot easier in a lot of ways because the system gives you more ‘outs’. There’s a lot less explaining to do. You just say, ‘sorry it’s gone’, because everything is electronic,” explained Danny.
Rose Dougherty, Danny’s mother, joined the gathering to celebrate his retirement.
Alongside her stood Lesley, his devoted wife. Amidst the bittersweet nostalgia, Danny fondly recalled his dear friend and fellow traffic warden, Mickey Curran, who passed in 2011.
“He was a lovely man. He was a great character and we had some amount of fun. Like myself, he didn’t take life too seriously.
“Unfortunately, he passed away very suddenly one weekend – a sad loss. He was a big character around the town and it would have been wonderful to have him here today,” said Danny.
Walking the streets and car parks of Letterkenny as a traffic warden wasn’t always easy for Danny. It took resilience and a thick skin to handle the ups and downs of the job.
“It is a tough job but it’s all about how you handle it. It’s how you handle life. If you treat people right, with a bit of dignity, then you get respect back. You get what you give.
“I did have a few tricky customers. There were some funny situations and some rather close calls but very few. It’s just life and dealing with the public. You’re just doing a job.
“It’s like a lot of things in life. I think they’re more angry about getting caught than angry at me as a person. They feel they have to take out their anger on somebody,” suggests Danny.
“There were a couple of incidents with cars. One guy got a ticket and he just went for the first blue coat he saw, which was me.
“Another time, I was writing a ticket and asked him to stay where he was but he was having none of it. He decided he was going to push his way past. So, I just let him go,” added Danny.
There are private companies in the county that employ traffic wardens. Donegal County Council employs just five. We asked Danny to share his thoughts on what seems like a relatively small number.
“To do the job effectively, it’s like gardaí or the army, you have to have enough people so that there’s an obvious presence. You don’t have to be on top of people when they know the chances of being caught are there.
“It’s about deterrence. If they see a Traffic Warden at the top of the car park, or whatever, they will automatically go and buy tickets. It’s the same as any job, you could always do with more staff,” suggests Danny.
Now, as Donegal’s record-breaking traffic warden sets his sights on a new chapter, his ambitions are simple: to indulge in some travel and spend more time with his wife, Lesley. Yet, he humorously hints that the future might be out of his hands.
“That’s the plan, to do a bit of travel, but whatever she’s got lined up for me is a different story. We’ll see where that goes. You’re asking the wrong person,” concluded a brave Danny.
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